Florida Senate - 2011 SJR 300
By Senator Bennett
21-00486-11 2011300__
1 Senate Joint Resolution
2 A joint resolution proposing amendments to Section 15
3 of Article III and Section 4 of Article VI and the
4 creation of a new section in Article XII of the State
5 Constitution to revise the term limits that apply to
6 State Senators and State Representatives and to impose
7 term limits on elected county and municipal officers.
8
9 Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
10
11 That the following amendments to Section 15 of Article III
12 and Section 4 of Article VI and the creation of a new Section in
13 Article XII of the State Constitution are agreed to and shall be
14 submitted to the electors of this state for approval or
15 rejection at the next general election or at an earlier special
16 election specifically authorized by law for that purpose:
17 ARTICLE III
18 LEGISLATURE
19 SECTION 15. Terms and qualifications of legislators.—
20 (a) SENATORS. Senators shall be elected for staggered terms
21 of six four years. The legislature must divide the senate
22 districts as evenly as possible into three classes, those from
23 odd-numbered districts in the years the numbers of which are
24 multiples of four and those from even-numbered districts in
25 even-numbered years the numbers of which are not multiples of
26 four; except, at the election next following a reapportionment,
27 some senators shall be elected for terms of two years when
28 necessary to maintain staggered terms.
29 (b) REPRESENTATIVES. Members of the house of
30 representatives shall be elected for terms of four two years,
31 those from odd-numbered districts in the years the numbers of
32 which are multiples of four and those from even-numbered
33 districts in even-numbered years the numbers of which are not
34 multiples of four in each even-numbered year.
35 (c) QUALIFICATIONS. Each legislator shall be at least
36 twenty-one years of age, an elector and resident of the district
37 from which elected and shall have resided in the state for a
38 period of two years prior to election.
39 (d) ASSUMING OFFICE; VACANCIES. Members of the legislature
40 shall take office upon election. Vacancies in legislative office
41 shall be filled only by election as provided by law.
42 ARTICLE VI
43 SUFFRAGE AND ELECTIONS
44 SECTION 4. Disqualifications.—
45 (a) A No person convicted of a felony, or adjudicated in
46 this or any other state to be mentally incompetent, is not shall
47 be qualified to vote or hold office until restoration of civil
48 rights or removal of disability.
49 (b) A No person may not appear on the ballot for re
50 election as a senator, representative, county officer, or
51 municipal officer if, by the end of the current term of office,
52 the person will have served (or, but for resignation, would have
53 served) in that office for twelve consecutive years. to any of
54 the following offices:
55 (1) Florida representative,
56 (2) Florida senator,
57 (c)(3) A person may not appear on the ballot for re
58 election as the Florida Lieutenant governor, or
59 (4) any office of the Florida cabinet office,
60 (5) U.S. Representative from Florida, or
61 (6) U.S. Senator from Florida
62
63 if, by the end of the current term of office, the person will
64 have served (or, but for resignation, would have served) in that
65 office for eight consecutive years.
66 ARTICLE XII
67 SCHEDULE
68 Implementation of amendments relating to the terms of
69 certain elected officials.—
70 (a) The amendments to Section 15 of Article III and Section
71 4 of Article VI and the creation of this section shall take
72 effect upon approval by the electors.
73 (b) During the organizational session following the 2012
74 general election, the Legislature shall implement the amendment
75 to subsection (a) of Section 15 of Article III by law. Under the
76 implementing legislation, senators elected during the 2012
77 general election shall be elected to terms of at least four
78 years. The terms of senators having two years remaining to their
79 terms on the date of the general election may be extended by two
80 years.
81 (c) Those representatives elected in odd-numbered districts
82 in the 2012 general election shall be elected to terms of two
83 years. Those representatives elected in even-numbered districts
84 in the 2012 general election shall be elected to terms of four
85 years.
86 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the following statement be
87 placed on the ballot:
88 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
89 ARTICLE III, SECTION 15
90 ARICLE VI, SECTION 4
91 ARTICLE XII
92 TERMS OF STATE SENATORS, STATE REPRESENTATIVES, AND ELECTED
93 COUNTY AND MUNICIPAL OFFICERS.—The State Constitution provides
94 that State Senators are elected to terms of 4 years and State
95 Representatives are elected to terms of 2 years. The State
96 Constitution also generally limits State Senators and State
97 Representatives to serving 8 consecutive years in office.
98 However, the State Constitution does not limit the number of
99 consecutive years in office that may be served by a county or
100 municipal officer.
101 This amendment lengthens the terms of State Senators to 6
102 years and the terms of State Representatives to 4 years. The
103 amendment also generally limits State Senators, State
104 Representatives, and elected county and municipal officers to 12
105 consecutive years in office. However, the amendment does not
106 change the length of the term of any elected county or municipal
107 office.